Talking Points
"Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. On the eve of the President's visit to a controversial trade summit in Brussels, Josh feels torn when he learns that free-trader Bartlet will reverse his position about sacrificing American jobs to foreign lands -- while C.J. takes out her frustrations with a new FCC ruling allowing multimedia companies increased ownership of TV stations. As the administration fights to spin the job-loss fallout, Donna tells Josh about her dissatisfaction with her limited role on his staff. In the midst of it all, Kate Harper steps in as the brash new Deputy National Security Advisor. Summary Opening Josh arrives at the White House and is greeted by Will - the two talk about the upcoming trade trip to Brussels. Josh walks into the Roosevelt Room to talk with Ed and Larry about the same thing. Donna greets Josh with more news about the trade trip - she is also hoping that she is going to be invited along. In the Oval Office, the President is on the phone discussing the trade deal with another head of state. He gets off and congratulates the Senior Staff on a job well done. Donna comes to find Josh to tell him that the reason India signed on to the deal is because a US computer company has agreed to send thousands of jobs to India. Act I Josh and Leo talk about how to contain the computer industry's plan - Leo tells Josh to talk with the Union to see if there is a compromise that can be reached - or the whole deal may go down the tubes. Will comes to C.J. to go over some talking points for the VP's planned speech and a request for help in dealing with the press. Josh runs into Ryan who announces that it is his last day at the White House - Josh tries to contain his glee. Donna comes to Josh's office, where she continues to press Josh on why she can't go on the trip. He doesn't have the time to fight for her right now - he needs her help on the computer company issue. Nancy McNally arrives in the outer office to bring Kate Harper into meet the President. Josh meets with a JCN (the computer company) lobbyist to ask about the planned move of jobs to India - he tells the lobbyist that it can't happen - it will threaten the passage of the deal in Congress. In C.J.'s office, she and Toby are talking over a deal to further regulate the percentage of media outlets being allowed on television. Toby doesn't see the issue, but C.J. won't leave it alone - she asks Carol to pull the FCC's recent requests so she can look into it. Act II C.J. calls three reporters into her office to tell them about the FCC deal and urges them to write about it - they are all not interested. Josh talks with Ed and Larry, there are increased protests in Belgium in advance of the President's visit. Josh arrives in Leo's office to tell him about the meeting with the JCN representative. Leo is meeting with Admiral Fitzwallace - Leo wants him to head up a codel to the Middle East to help keep the Congressmen who are going in check. Fitzwallace agrees. Josh tells Leo about the JCN meeting and that the company is going to send 17,000 jobs to India. Josh and Leo discuss a strategy to try and resolve this. In the Oval Office, the President meets with Kate Harper, who has joined the National Security Team. The two of them have a disagreement over issues - Kate oversteps her bounds with the President. Ryan comes to see Josh - who dismisses him. Josh steps outside to talk to Donna - who is not talking to him so there is an awkward relaying of the conversation through Ryan. The Union representative arrives to meet with Josh, who is obviously upset at the plan to move thousands of jobs out of the US. Josh asks him to wait so he can fix this - but the Union rep tells him he is going to the press and then to Congress. Greg Brock comes to see C.J. - he wants to talk about the Brussels trip - she is mad at him that he won't even look into the FCC story. Act III Will comes to see Josh, who is on the phone trying to keep his fingers in the dike. Will tells him that the Vice President is going to distance himself from the trade deal - but it's politics and not anything else. Ed and Larry come to see Josh about the increasing problems. Josh goes to see Donna - who tells him that Congressman McKenna is waiting for him. Josh runs into Ryan (again) - who tells Josh that he has a new job - as Congressman McKenna's Legislative Director - and now Josh has to meet with him. Ben has come to see C.J. and she starts to blow him off - he interrupts her to say that she left her passport and wallet at his house. She takes a breath and asks him out for a late lunch. Later, Leo comes to see her and tells her to stop harassing the reporters to write about the FCC story. Leo tells her that if she wants to make it an issue - use the briefing room. Josh meets with the Speaker, who tells him there are no worries, he is going to be able to deliver most of the Republican caucus - they don't care about the jobs going to India - they think it's a great deal. Josh leaves and goes to see Leo, who tells Josh that losing the jobs to India was part of the plan the whole time - they kept it from Josh, because they knew he wouldn't make the deal otherwise. Josh is upset and is going to take it to the President - because it's just not right. Act IV Josh and C.J. talk about their respective issues and then part. In the Oval Office the President and Leo are talking with Fitzwallace about the codel. Josh comes in and the President, Leo and Josh go to Leo's office to talk about the 17,000 jobs. The President explains to Josh that they had no choice but to make the deal. C.J. is on the way to the Briefing Room and tells Carol to prepare a statement retracting everything she is about to say. She walks into the room, where the press are standing around - C.J. has removed several seats from the room to make her point about the media conglomerates controlling multiple news outlets - so she is going to give just one seat to each conglomerate. The press all begin to object - she tells them if they have a problem to come see her in half an hour. Josh comes to see Donna and hands her a diplomatic passport - she's not going to Belgium, but he's sending her on the codel to the Middle East with Andy and Fitzwallace. C.J. comes to see Leo, and they talk about what she did in the press room. She proved her point but is going to put everything back the way it was. Leo commends her on what she was trying to do. Josh has a conversation with two workers who had been camped outside his office in protest. He promises them that he will not stop working for them and trying to protect their jobs. He then leaves to get in the van to take him to the plane for Brussels. Trivia / Goofs *Although mentioned as a major media conglomerate, MertMedia does not actually exist. http://www.tv.com/the-west-wing/talking-points/episode/311665/summary.html *The company name JCN is created by advancing one letter of the alphabet from the initials IBM. This is similar to the computer HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, whose name was created by moving each letter in IBM back by one place. *Wayne Duvall was cast due to his long-term friendship with director Richard Schiff. Quotes : Leo McGarry: You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose. We run a country; we deal in abstractions. :President Bartlet: By doing what? Building a wall around the country so we can keep those jobs a bit longer and never create any new ones? Passing a law that no one can be fired, even if they played video games at their desk all day? I'd probably get a spike in the polls for that one. Cast Starring *Dulé Hill as Charlie Young *Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg *Joshua Malina as Will Bailey *Janel Moloney as Donna Moss *Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler *John Spencer as Leo McGarry *Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman *and Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlet Special Guest Stars *Mary McCormack as Kate Harper *Jesse Bradford as Ryan Pierce *with John Amos as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace *and Lily Tomlin as Deborah Fiderer Guest Starring *Anna Deavere Smith as Dr. Nancy McNally *Steven Culp as Jeff Haffley *Sam Robards as Greg Brock *Brian Kerwin as Ben Dryer *Daniel Hugh Kelly as James Cook *Wayne Duvall as Bill Parons Co-Starring *Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick *Peter James Smith as Ed *William Duffy as Larry *Wendy Schenker as Diane Golden *Jim Gleason as Steve Hubbard *Mindy Seeger as Chris *Ben Siegler as George *Saida Rodriguez-Pagan as Anchor #1 *Penny Griego as Anchor #2 References "The West Wing" Talking Points (2004) The West Wing: Talking Points Category:Directed by Richard Schiff Category:Episodes Category:Season 5